Genes and music are two heritable systems that underlie our life. Both of them are made of linear and quantized information. I try to explore the correspondence and metaphor between them by converting gene (DNA, RNA and protein) sequences to MIDI sequences. Hopefully, gene music can capture and inspire appreciation of the diversity, mystery and beauty of life.
Four sampled voices for bases and a six-percussion ensemble for corresponding amino acids. Each codon is followed by an amino acid starting from TTT (Phe) and ending with GGG (Gly) in the order of T, C, A, and G.
DNA: Catalog of Restriction Enzyme (0.86MB)
Recognition sequences of 82 restriction enzymes ordered alphabetically.
Protein: Eighty-one P box of Nuclear Hormone Receptor (0.44MB)
P-box in an N-terminal zinc finger of nuclear hormone receptors is a six amino acid motif of CXXCXX involved in DNA binding. This is a collection of 81 P-box, majority of which have been found in the genome of nematode.
Coupling Made Easy by RecA-DNA Complex
Direct Repair of O-methylguanine by Suicidal Enzyme
Your Irresistible Smell: Odorant Receptor of Fruitfly
Joining Broken Ends: KU-DNA Complex
Farewell to the Other Half: Holliday Junction Resolvase
The Guardian of Genome: Three Faces of P53 Tumor-Suppressor
To Find a Perfect Mate: RecA Filament (20.9MB)
Sculptors of Animals: Hxa and Pbx Binding to DNA (26.8MB)
(Firefox or Safari with Flash Player 8 is recommended. In case the movie does not load, go to "Gene Music Archive" site, and click the same title.)
Joining Broken Ends: KU-DNA Complex (3D, 5.5MB)
To Die or Not: Nematode Death Machine (3D, 6.6MB)
Mighty Inhibitor: Uracil DNA Glycosylase and the Inhibitor (3D, 3.2MB)
To Find a Perfect Mate: RecA Protein and Filament (3D, 8.2MB)
To Correct Mispair: MutS Protein Bound to G-T Mismatch (3D, 8.1MB)
Three Faces of Genome Guardian: P53 Tumor-Suppressor Protein (3D, 17.1MB)
Rad51-BRCA2 Complex (3D, 3.6MB)
A Song of Light and Life: Photorepair Enzyme (3D, 1.4MB)
The Lifeguard of DNA: Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A Protein (3D, 2.2MB)
Sketches from a Trip to Europe in Spring: Genomic Sequence of Xeroderma Pigmentosum Group A (4.2MB)
Two Ways To Go: Adaptive Response Regulon of Bacillus subtilis (0.28MB)
DNA Mimicking protein MfpA (3D, 4.0MB)
Molecular Mimicry between tRNA and Ribosome-Releasing Factor (3D, 6.1MB)
Human Sex-determining Region Y Protein (3D, 0.97MB)
Four Quartets of Flowering Genes (0.9MB)
Responsorium of Major Sperm Protein Gene Promoters of C. elegans: shamisen version (0.76MB)
Requiem for Slaughtered Birds: The Genome of Avian Influenza Virus (4.4MB)
SARS coronavirus, Genomic and Protein Sequences (4.2MB)
Three Occasional Compositions (MIDI Files)
Genetic Music Sourcepage by Mary Ann Clark
Protein Music by Ross King
Encyclopedia Musicalis by Alexander Mihalic
Music from Life by John Dunn
Molecular Music by Linda Long
The Music of DNA by Susan Alexjander
DNA Music by Peter Gena
Gensong by David Lane
Music from DNA/Proteins/Math by Ron Rusay and Tomi Laakso
Genome Music by Todd Barton
Shamisen is a three-string, unfretted instrument used as the accompaniment for various styles of traditional songs, dances and theaters (Kabuki and Bunraku, etc.) in Japan. Unfortunately, it has been represented by the worst patches in most synthesizers today. One of my pet projects is to make a reasonable shamisen out of a MIDI sampler. Another project is to define the scales used in various traditional and contemporary genres of shamisen music.
Organic music is inspired by and inspiring of organic worlds from macromolecules to ecosystems, unbound by functional harmony, metrical rhythm and 12-equal tuning, trying to resonate and experience biosphere with minimal humanistic and mechanistic interventions. This CD list contains some ethnic music (Bali, Ivory Coast, Java, Tibet, Korea) and compositions by Scriabin, Webern, Bartok, Scelsi, Feldman, Messiaen, Wyschnegradsky, Nono, Vivier, Xenakis, Cage, Denisov, Kineya, Ferneyhough, Sciarrino, Murail, Saegusa, Yun, Saariaho, Levinas, Hosokawa, Sörensen, Furrer, Balakauskas, Yi, Miyoshi, Yusupov, Dusapin, Stäbler, Dillon, Boulez, Yagi, Zhang, Sotelo, Jarrell, Eötvös, Chin, Maresz with my extemporary comments.
